The present invention relates to a system including a method and apparatus for centrally controlling a group of knitting machines, and particularly to a method and apparatus for providing a plurality of small diameter circular knitting machines with a system for operating all of the machines mutually independently of each other.
In the known circular knitting machines it is necessary, upon changing the kind of knitwork, to readjust the patterning means of each machine separately, either mechanically, or in newer types of machines, by changing the electronic patterning program. Even when certain machine types are arranged for group operation they have a common drive and a governing device for a plurality of knitting units and they operate synchronously. This is being obtained by a common mechanical drive.
The disadvantage of this arrangement consists in that the failure in one knitting machine causes stoppage of all others. Even in those arrangements, when only the faulty machine is adapted to stop, it cannot readily be placed back in action after repair, so long as the other machines are not at the start of a new knitwork. Thereby, down time losses are caused and arrangement of such machines are uneconomical in their operation.
This disadvantage applies also for the group of electronically controlled knitting machines. The machines must operate substantially synchronously, even when a fault occurs in one machine, due to the very difficult synchronous operation. The influence of this fault is removed by providing the buffer memories for each machine, which permit operation of the remaining machines without undue influence. An independent operation of the machines, however, is not possible due to the relatively small capacity of the memories.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a plurality of knitting machines to avoid the problems and disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for individually and independently controlling a plurality of knitting machines from a central control device and a common patterning memory.
It is an object of the present invention which is more economical, simpler, easier to use than heretofore known.
These and other objects will be seen in the following disclosure of the present invention.